Simplicity Cake

Chocolate Cake

180g Butter
2 Cups SR Flour
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tsp Cocoa

Method: Melt butter and pour over all other ingredients in a bowl. Beat well at moderate speed.Pour into greased tin.Bake in moderate oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Makes a baking tray sized cake or two round cakes

Variations: Omit Cocoa and add 4 Tsp extra SR flour!

Then for

Orange Cake: add 2 dsp grated orange rind and substitute orange juice for half the milk. Ice with orange icing or serve cake warm with orange syrup.

Banana Cake: Add 1 cup mashed banana,1tsp grated lemon rind and a pinch of nutmeg,ice with lemon icing

Apple Cake: peel, core and slice two apples. Coat with 1tsp cinnamon and a couple of tsp sugar. Pour cake mix into pan and arrange apple slices on top.

Lemon Meringue Pie

180g crushed plain biscuits
90g melted butter
1 can condensed milk
1 lemon - grated rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 eggs - separated
1/2 cup caster sugar

Method:
Combine biscuit crumbs and melted butter and press firmly into a greased 23cm pie dish.Chill.
Combine condensed milk, lemon rind and juice, and egg yolks - stir until smooth and spoon into chilled crust.
Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff. Pipe or spoon on top of pie.
Bake in moderate oven(180c)for 15minutes until golden.

Serves 8 - hot or cold!

NB Do not use green lemons or it won't set:)

Pepparkakor - -Swedish Gingerbread

Time needed: Has to cool over night in fridge

Makes about: 125 cookies
Ingredients:
2,5 dl (1 cup) brown sugar
0,8 dl (1/3 cup) light sirup
0,8 dl (1/3 cup) water
150g (1,3 stick or 2/3 cups) butter or margarine

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
8 dl (3 1/3 cups) flour

1,5 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions:
Part 1.

1. Mix the brown sugar, syrup, and water in a saucepan. Let boil.
2. Add the butter or margarine and let it melt. Continue by adding the spices.
3. Let the contents cool without stirring.
4. Mix the baking soda with 3/4 of the flour in a separate bowl (the rest of the flour will be used for working the dough on the counter.
5. Add the flour mixture to the saucepan and work to dough to a ball.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic-wrap and let chill in fridge until next day.

Part 2.
7. Turn the oven on to 175°C (or 350°F)
8. Work the dough on a floured surface, kneed the flour into the dough if needed.
9. Roll out the dough and cut out cookies with cutters, or by hand. Place them on a greased tray or tray with oven paper. Let the cookies bake in the middle of the oven between 6-8 minutes.
Let cookies cool before serving. Can be kept in a tin in room temperature or in the freezer. Enjoy your Swedish Pepparkakor!

Christmas Cake - as made by Sylvia Drake's friend

Ingredients:
3/4lb (340g) butter
3/4lb (340g) brown sugar
6 eggs
1 heaped Tsp marmalade
1 heaped Tsp treacle
1dsp vanilla essence
3/4 tsp almond essence
2 dsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Small pinch of salt
17oz (482g) plain flour
3oz (85g) SR flour
2 kg  mixed fruit
3/4 cup sweet sherry

Combine dried fruit, sherry,spices and essences - stand overnight.
Cream butter and sugar then add marmalade and treacle.
Add eggs then flour and fruit.

Put mix into a well lined 10" (25cm) cake tin.
Smooth over with wet hands.

Cook for 4 hours at 150C.

If cooking a multi tiered cake this is the amount of mix for the middle and top tier

Ice upside down.

Cassatta

1st Layer:

2 eggs separated
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 cup cream
Almond Essence - few drops

A)Beat egg whites and sugar. Fold in lightly beaten egg yolks.
B)Beat cream with essence
C)Fold A & B together.
Freeze in 20cm tin

2nd Layer

2 eggs separated
1/2 cup Icing sugar
1/2 cup cream
60g dark chocolate
2Tsp cocoa
3 Tsp hot water

A)beat egg whites and sugar
B)Whip cream
C)Melt chocolate, stir in egg yolks
D)Combine cocoa and water

Combine C & D
Mix this into B
Fold this into A

Pour on top of frozen 1st Layer - return to freezer

3rd Layer:

A)1 cup cream &1tsp vanilla essence - beat together
B)1 egg white & 4 Tsp Icing sugar - beat together
C)2 Tsp red glace cherries
1 Tsp green glace cherries
4 dried apricots
2 glace pineapple rings (or dried equivalent)
30g toasted flaked almonds

Chop all fruit (C).Stir A & B together and fold fruit and nuts in.

Spread into tin on top of other frozen layers.

Return to freezer.

To serve - turn out onto plate

PS I sometimes line the tin with cling wrap. I usually double the recipe if I'm serving a large number.

EASY PIZZA

Pizza Dough

1tsp sugar
1tsp salt
1tsp crushed garlic
7g sachet yeast
¼ cup oil
1 cup warm water
2 & 2/3 cups plain flour

Combine sugar, salt, garlic, yeast, oil and water in a bowl, gently stir –leave til it goes frothy – then add flour and mix to a dough. Knead for 5 minutes.

This is enough dough for two round pizzas.

Top and bake at 180c

Pancakes

Dry Mix

6 cups flour
2 tsp salt
6 Tsp baking powder
6 Tsp sugar
2 Cups milk powder

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

To Use:

Combine in a bowl:
1 egg
1 cup water
2 Tsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups pancake mix

Fry on lightly greased pan.